C4EO - How we work
This section outlines how C4EO carries out its work to collect evidence from the
service and use this to offer support to local authorities and their children’s
trust partners to improve services.
Overview
C4EO will gather national and regional data, alongside evidence of effective practice,
consult with Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships (RIEPs) and colleagues
in parallel with national sector experts, to create a research review and national
and regional progress maps.
Local authorities and their partners may then need help to apply what works locally.
We will hold regional knowledge workshops and offer input from sector specialists.
We will also develop our quid pro quo model, where local authorities make available
specialists in priorities where they are strongest, in exchange for specialists
from priorities where they are weakest.
We will then support local systems change by providing a progress map on each priority,
offering a variety of audience specific outputs in multi-media formats, and will
offer Tailored 'Peer to Peer' Support to each local authority, and establish online Communities
of Practice for each priority.
Regional Progression Events and full knowledge reviews (including validated local
practice) will support implementation.
Knowledge management
– collecting the evidence from the sector
For each theme, three priorities (key lines of enquiry) have been identified. For
each priority, 18 in total, a research review will be conducted. Each review will
bring together a unique, quality-assured blend of qualitative and quantitative data,
and the best, validated local experience that has proved to be effective.
This element will include strategies, levers and interventions which have already
proved to be powerful in helping services improve outcomes and will examine the
reasons for their success. Once the knowledge review has been published, it will
be regularly updated.
The knowledge gathered from the reviews will underpin all of C4EO’s activities.
It will make available to those who commission, provide and work in children’s
services free, accessible and trusted sources of ‘what works’ evidence.
Outputs and dissemination – sharing the
evidence with the sector
The process of developing our outputs is integrated into our dissemination programme.
At the heart of the process is the interactive progress maps – an online tool for
each priority which support understanding, transfer learning and encourage change.
The progress mapping tool will generate summaries nationally and regionally (and
locally where a local authority has created a local map). We will also produce a
theme learning leaflet towards the end of each theme. At a glance, directors and
senior colleagues will be able to see progress in the theme nationally and regionally,
and will be able to use the tool to understand and display the performance of their
own authority.
Our audience specific outputs will be produced in multi-media formats to meet the
needs of different stakeholder groups.
Capacity building – supporting
services to improve
The aim of our capacity building programme is to develop sustainable mechanisms
for sector-led improvement.
With regional partners we will recruit, induct, accredit, train and support a cadre
of sector specialists, to support each of our 18 priorities within the 6 themes.
We will also offer access to accredited OBA specialists and local authorities will
be able to select from a menu of Tailored 'Peer to Peer' Support choices.
Regional workshops will help identify local partners and priorities. The quid pro
quo programme, building on good practice of peer support, should build a sustainable
structure for future work, supported by the six online Communities of Practice.
Evaluation – measuring our effectiveness
Our evaluation process will focus on understanding how we have had an impact on
improving outcomes for children, young people and families.
The process will be in four phases:
- assessing the quality of C4EO’s initial activities
- assessing whether mechanisms for improved outcomes are in place
- assessing whether those mechanisms are operating effectively
- assessing whether improved outcomes have been achieved.
Information will be gathered through a number of routes, including an annual survey
with Director of Children’s Services, an analysis of local materials and interviews
with informants in local authorities, as well as studies of our influence on the
wider political and professional debate.
A cost-benefit analysis will also be carried out using two exemplars to compare
C4EO’s costs with its estimated effects and the longer term value of improved
outcomes.
C4EO will conduct internal evaluations, with an external evaluation likely to be
commissioned in the project’s second year.
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